Touchless flowable product dispenser

ABSTRACT

A new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser which is to be utilized to reduce the amount of bacteria and germs transmitted when a customer wishes to dispense a flowable product, such as, for example, various condiments into a container. This invention allows large quantities of the flowable product to be stored and dispensed without customer contact, thereby reducing the risk of germ and bacteria transmission inside of a restaurant, particularly during infectious disease events or calendar seasons.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a non-provisional conversion of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/048,599 which was filed on Jul. 6,2020, the priority benefits of which are hereby claimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to food service equipment, andmore particularly to a new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser which is to be utilized to reduce the amount of bacteria andgerms transmitted when a customer wishes to dispense a flowable product,such as, for example, various condiments, such as, for example ketchup,mustard, mayonnaise, salsa, and the like, into a vessel, such as, forexample, a souffle cup, where the dispensed flowable product can then,in turn, be used upon various food items, such as, for example,hamburgers, French fries, nachos, salads, and the like. Alternatively,the new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser can likewisebe utilized to dispense beverages, such as, for example, tea, coffee,soft drinks, and the like, into the souffle cup. Still yet further, thenew and improved touchless flowable product dispenser can likewise beutilized to dispense a flowable product, such as, for example, variouscondiments, such as, for example, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salsa,soy sauce, and the like, directly onto a food item that would not becapable of being contained within a souffle cup or where the consumerdesires the flowable product to be dispensed directly onto hisparticular food item. This invention would allow large quantities of theflowable product to be stored and dispensed without customer contact,thereby reducing the risk of germ and bacteria transmission inside of arestaurant, particularly during infectious disease events, occurrences,or calendar seasons.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the world experienced the coronavirus pandemic of 2019-2021, manybusinesses, including restaurants, were forced to temporarily close, orin the case of the restaurant business, to only offer take-out orders orthe delivery of food by food courier services, as opposed to permittingany indoor dining. As the pandemic has now been, for the most part,contained and significantly mitigated as a result of the discovery andavailability of coronavirus vaccines, businesses are re-opening,including restaurants for inside or indoor dining. However, the risk ofthe pandemic, and that of future pandemics, still exists, and soextraordinary precautions are being taken to ensure, or at leastminimize to the greatest extent possible, the potential for any germs,bacteria, and viruses to be transmitted. One area in which germs,bacteria, and viruses can be easily spread in, for example, restaurantsand fast food establishments, are those areas which are commonlyutilized by multiple customers or consumers. More particularly, one sucharea would be that area of the restaurant or fast food establishmentwhere customers go to apply condiments to their food items, or,alternatively, to receive a beverage, all of which may be dispensed intoa souffle cup or the like, or directly onto a food item.

A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved productdispenser. Another need exists in the art for a new and improved productdispenser which comprises a touchless flowable product dispenser. Stillanother need exists in the art for a new and improved product dispenserwhich comprises a touchless flowable product dispenser for dispensingfood products. Yet another need exists in the art for a new and improvedproduct dispenser which comprises a touchless flowable product dispenserfor dispensing food products into a container such as, for example, asouffle cup or the like. An additional need exists in the art for a newand improved product dispenser which comprises a touchless flowableproduct dispenser for dispensing food products directly onto a fooditem, such as, for example, hamburgers, French fries, nachos, salads,and the like. Still another need exists in the art for a new andimproved product dispenser which comprises a touchless flowable productdispenser for dispensing food products, such as, for example, condimentsto be placed upon food items. Yet still another need exists in the artfor a new and improved product dispenser which comprises a touchlessflowable product dispenser for dispensing food products, such as, forexample, hot or cold beverages into a container, such as, for example, asouffle cup or the like.

OVERALL OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

An overall objective of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved product dispenser. Another overall objective of the presentinvention is to provide a new and improved product dispenser whichcomprises a touchless flowable product dispenser. Still another overallobjective of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedproduct dispenser which comprises a touchless flowable product dispenserfor dispensing food products. Yet another overall objective of thepresent invention is to provide a new and improved product dispenserwhich comprises a touchless flowable product dispenser for dispensingfood products into a container such as, for example, a souffle cup orthe like. An additional overall objective of the present invention is toprovide a new and improved product dispenser which comprises a touchlessflowable product dispenser for dispensing food products directly onto afood item, such as, for example, hamburgers, French fries, nachos,salads, and the like. Still another overall objective of the presentinvention is to provide a new and improved product dispenser whichcomprises a touchless flowable product dispenser for dispensing foodproducts, such as, for example, condiments to be placed upon food items.Yet still another overall objective of the present invention is toprovide a new and improved product dispenser which comprises a touchlessflowable product dispenser for dispensing food products, such as, forexample, hot or cold beverages into a container, such as, for example, asouffle cup or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the principles and teachings of the presentinvention, there is disclosed a new and improved touchless flowableproduct dispenser for dispensing food products, such as, for example,various condiments to be placed upon food items and which may bedispensed into a suitable container, such as, for example, a souffle cupor the like, or directly onto a food item, or alternatively, the foodproduct may be a beverage. More particularly, it is seen that the newand improved touchless flowable product dispenser essentially comprisesa canister or bag containing the food product to be dispensed, a tubeextending from a food product outlet port of the canister or bag to afood product dispensing outlet port of the touchless flowable productdispenser, and a peristaltic pump interposed between the food productoutlet port of the canister or bag to a food product dispensing outletport of the touchless flowable product dispenser. When a food productcontainer, such as, for example, a souffle cup or the like, or when afood item, or when a person's hand is waived in front of a suitablesensor, the peristaltic pump is actuated for one rotational cyclewhereby a precisely predetermined amount of food product is dispensedfrom the food product dispensing outlet port of the touchless flowableproduct dispenser into the container or onto the food item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other features and attendant advantages of the present inventionwill be more fully appreciated from the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in whichlike reference characters designate like or corresponding partsthroughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of a firstembodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser asconstructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of asecond embodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachingsof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of a thirdembodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser asconstructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of afourth embodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachingsof the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of a fifthembodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser asconstructed in accordance with the principles and teachings of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 is effectively a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of thenew and improved touchless flowable product dispenser of the presentinvention, showing, in particular, the peristaltic pump and how itoperates to dispense the flowable product;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the touchless flowableproduct dispenser disclosed within FIG. 6 so as to clearly disclose thevarious operative components thereof including a first type of puckdisposed atop the flowable product inside of a flowable product storagecanister;

FIG. 8 is schematic bottom perspective view of the valve mechanismutilized within new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 9 is effectively a cross-sectional view of another embodiment ofthe new and improved touchless flowable product dispenser of the presentinvention, similar to the embodiment illustrated within FIG. 7, showing,however, the use of a different type of puck disposed atop the flowableproduct stored within the flowable product storage canister; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic front, right side, top perspective view of asixth embodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser as constructed in accordance with the principles and teachingsof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof,a first embodiment of a new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser, as constructed in accordance with the principles andteachings of the present invention, is disclosed and is generallyindicated by the reference character 100. More particularly, it is seenthat the first embodiment of the new and improved touchless flowableproduct dispenser 100 is seen to comprise a housing 102 within which aflowable product dispensing system, to be disclosed more fullyhereinafter, is disposed such that the flowable product can in fact bedispensed from a flowable product output dispensing spout, port, ornozzle 104. At the bottom of the housing 102, there is provided ahorizontally oriented bracket 106 which is provided with a centrallylocated arcuately-configured cut-out section 108 which is adapted toaccommodate a suitably sized cup or similar container, not shown, intowhich a precisely metered supply of the flowable product can bedispensed from the flowable product output dispensing spout, port, ornozzle 104. It is also noted that the lowermost portion of the housing102 is provided with a horizontally oriented support platform 110, whichis disposed beneath the horizontally oriented bracket 106 such that thebracket 106 is disposed above and effectively overhangs the supportplatform 110.

Therefore, it can be readily appreciated that the suitably sized cup orsimilar container, not shown, is adapted to be supported upon thesupport platform 110 wherein the lower portion of the cup or containerwill be confined within the arcuately shaped cut-out section 108 of thebracket 106. Lastly, it is seen that a suitable sensor, such as, forexample, a through-beam sensor, comprising a light beam transmitter 112a and a light beam receiver 112 b, is interposed between the supportplatform 110 and the bracket 106. Accordingly, when a cup or containeris disposed upon the support platform 110, and disposed within thearcuately shaped or semi-circular cut-out section 108 of the bracket106, the cup or container will block the transmitter/receiver components112 a,112 b which normally emits, for example, a visible or infraredlight beam, whereby the touchless flowable product dispenser will nowknow that a cup or container is physically present beneath the flowableproduct output dispensing spout, port, or nozzle 104 and will dispense aprecisely metered amount of the flowable product from a flowable productstorage canister, not shown but which will be disclosed and describedhereinafter, disposed internally of the housing 102. It is to be notedthat while the first embodiment 100 of the new and improved touchlessflowable product dispenser of the present invention is disclosed ascomprising a single flowable product output dispensing spout, port, ornozzle 104, more than one flowable product output dispensing spouts orports may be provided upon a single housing 102.

With reference now being made to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of a newand improved touchless flowable product dispenser, as constructed inaccordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 200.It is to be noted that the second embodiment 200 of the presentinvention comprises structural components which are similar tostructural components present within the first embodiment 100 of thepresent invention, and therefore such similar structural components willbe provided with reference numbers corresponding to the referencenumbers noted in connection with the first embodiment 100 of the presentinvention, however, they will be within the 200 series. It is furthernoted that the description of the second embodiment 200 of the presentinvention will be directed toward those structural components which aredifferent from the structural components of the first embodiment 100 ofthe present invention. More particularly, it is seen, for example, thatin lieu of a single flowable product output dispensing spout or port104, the second embodiment 200 of the new and improved touchlessflowable product dispenser comprises four (4) flowable product outputdispensing spouts, ports, or nozzles 204, all of which are mounted uponthe housing 202 and all of which are individually operatively associatedwith respective flowable product dispensing mechanisms, not shown inFIG. 2 but which will become apparent hereinafter, which are disposedinternally within the housing 202.

Another significant difference between the first embodiment 100 of thenew and improved touchless flowable product dispenser and the secondembodiment 200 of the new and improved touchless flowable productdispenser is that the second embodiment 200 of the new and improvedtouchless flowable product dispenser is adapted to provide touchlessflowable product dispensing to food items that are not adapted to becontained within a cup or similar container. Accordingly, while asupport platform 210 is provided, the support platform 210 is providedfor supporting food containers 214 within which various food items aredisposed and upon which a particular flowable product or condiment canbe dispensed from a particular one of the plurality of flowable productoutput dispensing spouts, ports, or nozzles 204. Still further, it isseen that the bracket 106 and cut-out section 108, for accommodating thelower portion of a cup or container, have been eliminated, as well asthe through-beam transmitter/receiver sensor 112 a,112 b, and in lieuthereof, each one of the flowable product output stations, as defined bymeans of each one of the plurality of flowable product output dispensingspouts, ports, or nozzles 204, is provided with a hand-wave proximitysensor 216. Accordingly, when a patron wants to have a particularcondiment dispensed onto the food disposed within the food container214, the patron simply waves or moves his hand in front of the proximitysensor 214 so as to activate the condiment dispensing equipment as willbe more fully disclosed hereinafter.

With reference now being made to FIG. 3, a third embodiment of a new andimproved touchless flowable product dispenser, as constructed inaccordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 300.It is to be noted that the third embodiment 300 of the present inventioncomprises structural components which are similar to structuralcomponents present within the first and second embodiments 100,200 ofthe present invention, and therefore such similar structural componentswill be provided with reference numbers corresponding to the referencenumbers noted in connection with the first and second embodiments100,200 of the present invention, however, they will be within the 300series. It is further noted that the description of the third embodiment300 of the present invention will be directed toward those structuralcomponents which are different from the structural components of thefirst and second embodiments 100,200 of the present invention. Moreparticularly, it is seen for example, that while in the first embodiment100 of the present invention, a single flowable product outputdispensing spout, port, or nozzle 104 was mounted upon the housing 102,while in the second embodiment 200 of the present invention, multiple,or a plurality of, flowable product output dispensing spouts, ports, ornozzles 204 were mounted upon the housing 202, in accordance with thethird embodiment 300 of the present invention, each flowable productoutput dispensing spout, port, or nozzle 304 is mounted upon itsindividual housing 302, and the plurality of housings 302 are alignedwith each other within a horizontally extending array so as to definelaterally separated condiment dispensing stations, each stationdispensing a different condiment.

Several other additional structural differences for this thirdembodiment 300 of the present invention are also to be noted. Forexample, all of the individual housings 302 are adapted to be mountedupon another major housing or mounting bracket, not shown. Stillfurther, a support platform, not shown but similar to the supportplatform 110 of the first embodiment 100 of the present invention, is tobe provided beneath the plurality of dispensing ports or spouts 304, anda bracket, also not shown but similar to the bracket 106 of the firstembodiment 100 of the present invention will also be provided, alongwith arcuately shaped cut-out sections andsensors/transmitters/receivers similar to the arcuately shaped cut-outsection 108 and the transmitter/receiver 112 a,112 b of the firstembodiment 100 of the present invention. Still yet further, theselaterally separated condiment dispensing stations are adapted todispense cooled or chilled condiments. Accordingly, the flowable productstorage cannisters, not shown, will be disposed within a cabinet 318within which cooling equipment, such as, for example, compressors andthe like, that are utilized in conjunction with refrigerators, freezers,or air conditioners, not shown, will also be disposed. Lastly, it isseen that the upper surface of the cabinet 318 comprises a deck 320which is provided with a plurality of laterally spaced apertures 322having covers 324 covering the same. These apertures 322 and covers 344provide access to the flowable product storage canisters disposed withinthe cabinet 318 so as to enable replacement of a particular canisterwhen its supply of condiment is exhausted.

With reference now being made to FIG. 4, a fourth embodiment of a newand improved touchless flowable product dispenser, as constructed inaccordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 400.It is to be noted that the fourth embodiment 400 of the presentinvention comprises structural components which are similar tostructural components present within the first, second, and thirdembodiments 100,200,300 of the present invention, and therefore suchsimilar structural components will be provided with reference numberscorresponding to the reference numbers noted in connection with thefirst, second, and third embodiments 100,200, 300 of the presentinvention, however, they will be within the 400 series. It is furthernoted that the description of the fourth embodiment 400 of the presentinvention will be directed toward those structural components which aredifferent from the structural components of the first, second, and thirdembodiments 100,200,300 of the present invention. More particularly, itis seen that the fourth embodiment 400 of the new and improved touchlessflowable product dispenser of the present invention comprises a housing402, a support platform 410, and a through-beam sensor 412 disposedwithin the central part of the platform 410. In addition, in accordancewith the principles and teachings of this fourth embodiment 400 of thepresent invention, the flowable product storage canisters, not shown,disposed internally within the housing 402 are adapted to be heated byany suitable heating components, such as, for example, heating coilsplaced within the vicinity of the flowable product storage canisters oreven integrally embedded within the surrounding walls of the flowableproduct storage canisters. In this manner, the flowable product ispre-heated, and maintained at a predetermined temperature, prior to itsdispensing onto a food item. Lastly, while all of the new and improvedembodiments of the touchless flowable product dispensers are providedwith electrical power so as to enable the peristaltic pumps, thesensors, and the heating and cooling equipment to operate, an electricalpower cord 426 is actually seen in FIG. 4 as being electricallyconnected to the housing 402.

With reference now being made to FIG. 5, a fifth embodiment of a new andimproved touchless flowable product dispenser, as constructed inaccordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 500.It is to be noted that the fifth embodiment 500 of the present inventioncomprises structural components which are similar to structuralcomponents present within the first, second, third, and fourthembodiments 100,200,300, 400 of the present invention, and thereforesuch similar structural components will be provided with referencenumbers corresponding to the reference numbers noted in connection withthe first, second, third, and fourth embodiments 100,200,300,400 of thepresent invention, however, they will be within the 500 series. It isfurther noted that the description of the fifth embodiment 500 of thepresent invention will be directed toward those structural componentswhich are different from the structural components of the first, second,third, and fourth embodiments 100,200,300,400 of the present invention.More particularly, it is seen that the fifth embodiment 500 of the newand improved touchless flowable product dispenser of the presentinvention is similar to the fourth embodiment 400 touchless flowableproduct dispenser 400 in that it comprises a housing 502, and a supportplatform 510, however, in the fifth embodiment 500 of the touchlessflowable product dispenser 500 there is provided a plurality of aligned,laterally spaced dispensing stations each one of which comprises athrough-beam sensor 512 disposed within the laterally spaced parts ofthe platform 510, as well as a plurality of flowable product outputports, spouts, or nozzles 504. In addition, as was the case for thefourth embodiment 400 of the present invention, the flowable productstorage canisters, not shown, disposed internally within the housing 502are adapted to be heated by any suitable heating components, such as,for example, heating coils placed within the vicinity of the flowableproduct storage canisters or even integrally embedded within thesurrounding walls of the flowable product storage canisters. Again, inthis manner, the flowable product is pre-heated, and maintained at apredetermined temperature, prior to its dispensing onto a food item.

With reference now being made to FIG. 6, there is disclosed a firstembodiment of a typical flowable product storage canister 628 withinwhich a predetermined amount of a particular flowable product, notshown, is stored for dispensing when a predetermined amount of theflowable product is to be dispensed. More particularly, the touchlessflowable product dispenser of the present invention comprises a housing602, which can be similar to any one of the housings 102,202,302,402,502previously noted in connection with the description of any one of thefirst through fifth embodiments, and within the housing 602, aperistaltic pump 632 is fixedly mounted within or upon a suitablehousing or mounting bracket 633 such that a rotor 634 of the peristalticpump 632 can rotate around a horizontally oriented rotary axle 636 whenthe peristaltic pump 632 is actuated. A dispensing valve mechanism orassembly 638, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, ismounted upon the bottom of the flowable product storage canister 628such that when the flowable product storage canister 628 is mounted uponthe peristaltic pump housing or mounting bracket 633, the dispensingvalve mechanism 638 will automatically be moved to its OPEN position soas to permit dispensing of the flowable product out from the flowableproduct storage canister 628 when the peristaltic pump 632 is activated,whereas, to the contrary, when the flowable product storage canister 628has been removed from the peristaltic pump housing or mounting bracket633, the dispensing valve mechanism 638 will automatically be moved toits CLOSED position so as to prevent any leakage of the flowable productout from the flowable product storage canister 628. It is also notedthat a flexible, compressible tube 640 has one end fixedly attached toan output port 642 of the dispensing valve mechanism, while an oppositeend of the flexible, compressible tube 640 is fixedly attached to aninlet end of a flowable product output dispensing spout, port, or nozzle604 which may be similar to any one of the previously noted flowableproduct output dispensing spouts, ports, or nozzles 104,204,304,504, Itis further noted that the flexible, compressible tube 640 is routedaround the outer periphery of the peristaltic pump rotor 634. Stillfurther, different flexible, compressible tubes, having for example,different internal diametrical dimensions, can be utilized so as toenable different flowable products, characterized by differentviscosities, to flow therethrough without any fluid flow problems. It isof course to be appreciated that the connections for the opposite endsof the different tubes would have to also be changed so as toaccommodate the different sized tubes.

As is well known in the art, the rotor of a peristaltic pump, in itssimplest form or structure, comprises a rotor having two diametricallyopposite sides provided with rollers or cams. As the rotor rotates, therollers or cams, disposed upon the diametrically opposite sides of therotor, operatively cooperate with internal peripheral wall portions ofthe pump housing assembly such that as a first one of the rollers orcams engages and compresses a first section of the flexible,compressible tube, that first roller or cam occludes that first sectionof the flexible, compressible tube such that flowable product cannotflow beyond that first roller or cam. At the same time, the second,diametrically opposite roller or cam, which has also been occluding asecond section of the flexible, compressible tube, is disengaged fromthe flexible, compressible tube such that flowable product, trappedwithin that section of the flexible, compressible tube which wasinterposed between the first and second rollers or cams, is now able toescape from the second section of the flexible, compressible tube suchthat a precise, predetermined volume of flowable product can in fact bedispensed, it of course being realized that the rollers or cams areconstantly rolling along the compressed flexible, compressible tube soas to constantly cause the flowable product to move along the tube. Thisoperation is known as peristalsis whereby precise predetermined volumesof flowable product are dispensed as desired. As can therefore beappreciated, the volume of fluid or flowable product, that is to bedispensed at any one time, is defined by means of the volume of thatsection of the flexible, compressible which is interposed between therollers or cams. As illustrated within FIG. 6, the particular rotor 634of the present invention is provided with six (6) rollers or cams 646which are mounted upon the rotor 634 in an equiangularly spaced array,although, of course, a different number of rollers or cams 646 may beutilized for different flow volumes as may be needed or desired.

With reference now being made to FIGS. 6-9, the valve mechanism orassembly 638 will be more explicitly illustrated and described. As canbest be seen from FIG. 9, the valve mechanism 638 is mounted within avalve mounting block 648 which is fixedly mounted upon the bottom of theflowable product storage canister 628 as can best be seen in FIG. 8. Inturn, a flowable product dispensing block 650, which includes theflowable product output port 642 to which one end of the flexible,compressible tube 640 is to be fixedly attached as was shown in FIG. 6,is adapted to be fixedly attached to the upper end of the peristalticpump housing 633 as can also be appreciated from FIG. 6. As can best beappreciated from FIG. 8, the valve mounting block 648 is adapted to beremovably mounted upon or connected to, as well as dismounted ordisconnected from, the flowable product dispensing block 650 by means ofa suitable bayonet connection, the male members of the bayonetconnection, fixedly mounted upon the valve mounting block 648, beingshown as radially outwardly projecting, diametrically opposed pins 651in FIG. 8. The flowable product output port 642 is seen to befluidically connected a first bore 652 defined within the flowableproduct dispensing block 650, wherein the first bore 652 has a firstpredetermined diametrical extent. The first bore 652, in turn, isfluidically connected to a second bore 654 which is also defined withinthe flowable product dispensing block 650 and is seen to have adiametrical extent which is greater than that of the first bore 652, thefirst and second bores 652,654 effectively meeting or are smoothlyconnected or melded to each other by means of an annular shoulderportion 656. It is lastly seen that the upper part of the flowableproduct dispensing block 650 is provided with a substantiallyfrustoconical bore section 658 which is adapted to accommodate the lowerend portion of the valve mounting block 648 when the valve mountingblock 648 is fixedly mounted upon the flowable product dispensing block650 by means of the aforenoted bayonet connection, and an annular O-ring660 is fixedly mounted upon the lower external portion of the valvemounting block 648 so as to provide a tight seal between the flowableproduct dispensing block 650 and the valve mounting block 648, when thevalve mounting block 648 is fixedly mounted upon the flowable productdispensing block 650, so as to prevent any leakage of the flowableproduct out from the valve mounting block 648 and the flowable productdispensing block 650.

With reference still being made to FIGS. 7-9, the actual flowableproduct control valve of the valve mechanism or assembly 638 will now bedescribed. More particularly, it is first seen that the valve mountingblock 648 comprises a lower axial cylindrical bore 662 and an upperfrustoconically shaped bore 664 fluidically connected to the lower bore662 at its lower end and fluidically connected to an outflow aperture oropening 666 defined within the bottom wall 670 of the flowable productstorage cannister 628 as can best be appreciated from FIGS. 7 and 8. Theactual flowable product control valve can best be appreciated from FIG.9 and is seen to comprise a first, substantially T-shaped upper member672 and a second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674. Thefirst, substantially T-shaped upper member 672 comprises a transverselyoriented upper portion 676 and an axially extending stem portion 678,while the second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674comprises a transversely oriented lower portion 680 and an axiallyextending stem portion 682 wherein the upper end of the stem portion 682of the second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674 isfixedly embedded within the stem portion 678 of the first, substantiallyT-shaped upper member 672.

As can be further appreciated, a coiled spring 684 is coaxially disposedaround the axially extending stem portion 682 of the second, inverted,substantially T-shaped lower member 674 such that the upper end of thecoiled spring 684 is engaged with an undersurface portion of the stemportion 678 of the first, substantially T-shaped upper member 672, whilea lower end of the coiled spring 684 is engaged with an axially locatedupper surface portion of the second, inverted, substantially T-shapedlower member 674. It is of course to be appreciated that both the coiledspring 684 and the axially extending stem portion 682 of the lowermember 674 pass through a hole defined within the bottom portion of thevalve mounting block 648, as can best be appreciated from FIGS. 7 and 8.It is also to be noted that while the transversely oriented upperportion 676 of the first, substantially T-shaped upper member 672comprises a solid annular disk, the transversely oriented lower portion680 of the second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674actually comprises four equiangularly spaced spokes, arms, or legs 686projecting radially outwardly from a central portion 688 of the second,inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674 as can best be seen inFIG. 8.

Lastly, it is also to be appreciated that the annular periphery 690 ofthe transversely oriented upper portion 676 of the first, substantiallyT-shaped upper member 672 has a frustoconical configuration, while theupper internal walls of the valve mounting block 648, which define theupper frustoconically shaped bore 664, also define a frustoconicallyshaped valve seat 692 for the annular periphery 690 of the transverselyoriented upper portion 676 of the first, substantially T-shaped uppermember 672. Therefore, as can best be appreciated from FIG. 7, when theflowable product storage canister 628 is fixedly mounted upon theflowable product dispensing block 650 as a result of the aforenotedbayonet connection, the four radially outwardly projecting spokes, arms,or legs 686 of the second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member674 will be seated within the annular shoulder portion 656 definedbetween the first and second bores 652 and 654 such that the axiallyoriented stem portion 682 of the second, inverted, substantiallyT-shaped lower member 674 will force the first substantially T-shapedupper member 672 of the flowable product control valve to move upwardlythereby effectively raising the transversely oriented upper portion 676of the first, substantially T-shaped upper member 672 and its annularperipheral portion 690 away from the annular valve seat 692.

Accordingly, flowable product, stored within the flowable productstorage canister 628, can now flow into the annular frustoconical bore664, past the first, substantially T-shaped upper member 672 of theflowable product control valve, through the bore 662 defined within thevalve mounting block 648, through a pair of holes 694 defined within thebottom portion of the valve mounting block 648, as best seen in FIG. 8,through the bore 654 defined within the flowable product dispensingblock 650, past the plurality of radially outwardly projecting spokes,arms, or legs 686 of the second, inverted, substantially T-shaped lowermember 674 of the flowable product control valve, into the lower bore652 defined within the flowable product dispensing block 650, and intothe flowable product output port 642 such that a precise, predeterminedamount of the flowable product can be dispensed when the rotor 634 ofthe peristaltic pump 632 is rotated a predeterminedly stepped orincremental amount. To the contrary, when the flowable product storagecanister 628 is disconnected and removed from the flowable productdispensing block 650, the coiled spring 684 will force the second,inverted, substantially T-shaped lower member 674 of the flowableproduct control valve to move downwardly so as to, in turn, move thefirst, substantially T-shaped upper member 672 of the flowable productcontrol valve downwardly whereby the annular peripheral portion 690 ofthe first, substantially T-shaped upper member 672 will again be seatedupon its valve seat 692 of the valve mounting block 648 such thatflowable product cannot leak out from the flowable product storagecanister 628.

It is lastly to be noted that the motor drive, not shown, for theperistaltic pump 632 can be operated in reverse immediately after aparticular flowable product dispensing operation or cycle has beencompleted. The reason for this is that it has been noted that uponcompletion of a particular dispensing operation or cycle, product maytend to nevertheless drip out from the flowable product dispensingnozzle. The operation of the peristaltic pump drive motor in a reversemode tends to suck product away from the dispensing nozzle so as toresolve this potential problem. In a similar manner, it is noted that ifthe flowable product container or cup is removed from the flowableproduct dispensing station prior to completion of a complete flowableproduct dispensing cycle or operation, the sensor will transmit a signalto the peristaltic pump to cease its forward movement for dispensing andto immediately reverse movement so as to prevent further flowableproduct from being dispensed onto the dispensing station since theflowable product container or cup is no longer present at the flowableproduct dispensing station.

Continuing further, it has also been noted in conjunction with thedispensing of flowable products, that due to the viscosities of someflowable products, as the flowable product exits the axially centralportion of the bottom of the flowable product storage canister 628, avortex is effectively created at the exit of the canister 628. Thisvortex, in turn, can cause cavitation to occur at the exit of thecanister 628 whereby the flowable product container 628 may not becompletely evacuated, thereby leaving flowable product within thecanister 628 that could otherwise be dispensed. In order to preventthese occurrences from happening, an evacuation puck can be utilizedwithin the flowable product canister 628. One such evacuation puck isdisclosed at 694 in FIGS. 6 and 7. The puck 694 may simply comprise aflat, sheet metal plate 696 which is provided with a manipulative handle698 fixedly secured to an upper surface portion of the puck 694. Thepuck 694 is adapted to simply sit atop the flowable product storedwithin the flowable product storage canister 628 and thereby exert apredetermined downwardly directed force upon the flowable product so asto prevent the aforenoted vortex and cavitation problems from occurring.

It is noted that the diametrical extent of the puck 694 is somewhat lessthan the interior diametrical extent of the flowable product canister628, however, the presence of the evacuation puck 694 neverthelessserves the desired purpose and achieves the desired result.Alternatively, as disclosed within FIG. 9, a second embodiment of anevacuation puck is shown at 700 and is seen to comprise a main bodyportion 702 which has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectionalconfiguration and an upper handle portion 704 which is adapted to befixedly secured to the lower body portion 702 by suitable fasteners 706.Contrary to the first embodiment puck 694, the second embodiment puckhas a diametrical extent just slightly smaller than the internaldiametrical extent of the flow product storage canister 628 such that asthe supply of the flowable product is gradually depleted or exhausted,the annular peripheral portion 708 of the evacuation puck 700 willengage the internal peripheral surface portion of the flowable productcanister 628 and thereby effectively scrape or wipe down the internalperipheral surface portion of the flowable product storage canister 628so as to ensure that substantially all of the flowable product, disposedwithin the flowable product storage canister 628, will be evacuated anddispensed.

With reference lastly being made to FIG. 10, a sixth embodiment of a newand improved touchless flowable product dispenser, as constructed inaccordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention,is disclosed and is generally indicated by the reference character 800.It is to be noted that the sixth embodiment 800 of the present inventioncomprises structural components which are similar to structuralcomponents present within the previous embodiments 100,200,300,400,500of the present invention, and therefore such similar structuralcomponents will be provided with reference numbers corresponding to thereference numbers noted in connection with the previous embodiments100,200,300,400,500 of the present invention, however, they will bewithin the 800 series. It is further noted that the description of thesixth embodiment 800 of the present invention will be directed towardthose structural components which are different from the structuralcomponents of the previous embodiments 100, 200,300,400,500 of thepresent invention. More particularly, it is noted that flowable productsare not always packaged within canisters, but may be alternativelypackaged within bags, pouches, or other containers. Accordingly, it isdesirable to utilize the principles and teachings of the presentinvention in connection with containers that may not be canisters.Therefore, as seen within FIG. 10, the sixth embodiment 800 of thepresent invention comprises a housing 802 within which there is disposeda plurality of caddies 804. Within each caddy 804, there is disposed abag or pouch, not shown, but which, for the purposes of this disclosure,is similar to the flowable product storage canister 628, for containinga flowable product. A suitable flowable product conduit or tube, notshown, is fluidically connected at one end thereof to an outlet port ofeach bag or pouch, not shown, while the opposite end of such flowableproduct conduit or tube is fluidically connected to a nipple 806.Another flowable product conduit or tube, also not shown, wouldfluidically connect each nipple 806 to a peristaltic pump, similar tothe peristaltic pump 632 such that precise predetermined volumes of theflowable product can be dispensed. It is lastly to be understood thatthe entire touchless flowable product dispensing system is under thecontrol of a suitable electronic hardware and software.

Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the presentinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent,is:
 1. A touchless flowable product dispenser so as to dispense flowableproducts in a hands-free, minimal contact manner, comprising: a housing;at least one first container disposed within said housing and withinwhich a supply of at least one flowable product is stored; at least onedispensing nozzle mounted upon said housing for dispensing the at leastone flowable product stored within said at least one first container; aflowable product dispensing mechanism for causing a predetermined amountof the flowable product to be dispensed from said at least one firstcontainer to said at least one dispensing nozzle when said flowableproduct dispensing mechanism is activated; a horizontally orientedplatform disposed upon said housing for supporting at least one secondcontainer into which at least one flowable product can be dispensed; anda sensing system operatively connected to said flowable productdispensing mechanism such that when the at least one second container isdisposed upon said horizontally oriented platform, a signal istransmitted to said flowable product dispensing mechanism so as todispense a precise predetermined amount of the flowable product into theat least one second container in a hands-free, minimal contact manner.2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said at least one firstcontainer comprises at least one canister.
 3. The system as set forth inclaim 2, wherein: said at least one canister comprises a plurality ofcanisters; and said at least one dispensing nozzle comprises a pluralityof dispensing nozzles respectively fluidically connected to saidplurality of canisters.
 4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein:said horizontally oriented platform has a shelf operatively associatedtherewith wherein said shelf has at least one arcuate cut-out regionoperatively associated therewith for respectively confining a lower endportion of at least one second container into which the at least oneflowable product is to be dispensed.
 5. The system as set forth in claim4, wherein: said sensing system comprises a light beam sensing systemfor sensing the presence of the at least one second container disposedupon said horizontally oriented platform and for sending a signal tosaid flowable product dispensing system so as to activate said flowableproduct dispensing system.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 2,wherein: said flowable product dispensing system comprises a peristalticpump.
 7. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said peristalticpump comprises: a flexible, compressible tube through which the flowableproduct can flow from said at least one canister to said at leastflowable product dispensing nozzle; a rotor; and a plurality of rollersmounted upon said rotor such that as said rotor rotates, said pluralityof rollers will occlude said flexible, compressible tube so as to trap aprecise predetermined amount of flowable product between two consecutiveones of said plurality of rollers and then release said flexible,compressible tube so as to permit said peristaltic pump to dispense theprecise predetermined amount of flowable product that was trappedbetween said two consecutive ones of said plurality of rollers.
 8. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said sensing system comprises ahand-wave sensor for sensing a person's hand and for sending a signal tosaid flowable product dispensing system when a person's hand in waved infront of said hand-wave sensor so as to activate said flowable productdispensing system.
 9. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein: saidat least one canister is removably mounted upon said peristaltic pump.10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein: a flowable product flowcontrol valve is mounted upon said at least one canister.
 11. The systemas set forth in claim 10, wherein: said flowable product control valveis automatically moved to an OPEN position when said at least onecanister is mounted upon said peristaltic pump so as to permit flowableproduct to be dispensed by said peristaltic pump when said peristalticpump is activated, and automatically moved to a CLOSED position whensaid at least one canister is removed from said peristaltic pump so asto prevent leakage of the flowable product out from said at least onecanister.
 12. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said at leastone canister is removably mounted upon said peristaltic pump by abayonet connection.
 13. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein:said peristaltic pump is reversible so as to suck back flowable productafter a precise predetermined amount of flowable product has beendispensed so as to prevent inadvertent dripping of the flowable product.14. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein: an evacuation puck isdisposed internally with said at least one canister and disposed atopthe flowable product disposed within said at least one canister so as toprevent vortex and cavitation events from occurring within said at leastone canister as flowable product is dispensed out from said at least onecanister.
 15. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein: saidevacuation puck comprises a flat metal plate.
 16. The system as setforth in claim 15, wherein: said flat metal plate has a diametricalextent which is less than the internal diametrical extent of said atleast one canister.
 17. The system as set forth in claim 14, wherein:said evacuation puck comprises a disk having a substantially U-shapedcross-sectional configuration.
 18. The system as set forth in claim 17,wherein: said evacuation puck has a diametrical extent less than, butsubstantially the same as, the internal diametrical extent of said atleast one canister such that as flowable product is dispensed from saidat least one canister, peripheral edge portions of said evacuation puckwill scrape or wipe internal peripheral wall portions of said at leastone canister so as to ensure that substantially all of the flowableproduct, originally disposed within said at least one canister, will bedispensed from said at least one canister.
 19. The system as set forthin claim 1, wherein: said at least one first container comprises atleast one bag within which flowable product is stored.
 20. The system asset forth in claim 19, wherein: at least one caddy is mounted withinsaid housing; and said at least one bag comprises at least two bagsmounted within said at least one caddy.
 21. A touchless flowable productdispenser so as to dispense flowable products in a hands-free, minimalcontact manner, comprising: a housing; at least one first containerdisposed within said housing and within which a supply of at least oneflowable product is stored; at least one dispensing nozzle mounted uponsaid housing for dispensing the at least one flowable product storedwithin said at least one first container; a reversible flowable productdispensing mechanism for causing a predetermined amount of the flowableproduct to be dispensed from said at least one first container to saidat least one dispensing nozzle when said flowable product dispensingmechanism is activated in a first direction, and to suck back flowableproduct after a precise predetermined amount of flowable product hasbeen dispensed so as to prevent inadvertent dripping of the flowableproduct when said flowable product dispensing mechanism is activated ina second opposite direction; a horizontally oriented platform disposedupon said housing for supporting at least one second container intowhich at least one flowable product can be dispensed; and a sensingsystem operatively connected to said flowable product dispensingmechanism such that when the at least one second container is disposedupon said horizontally oriented platform, a signal is transmitted tosaid flowable product dispensing mechanism so as to dispense a precisepredetermined amount of the flowable product into the at least onesecond container in a hands-free, minimal contact manner.